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NFL Play of the Year 2018: Award Winner and Reaction
February 3, 2019
The NFL announced Saturday that the winner of the 2018 Bridgestone Clutch Performance Play of the Year was the Miami Miracle.
Video of the play was tweeted by the NFL's official Twitter account:
The Miami Miracle was the name given to the remarkable play that enabled the Miami Dolphins to upset the New England Patriots 34-33 on Dec. 9 in their Week 14 clash.
The play began with seven seconds remaining and Miami trailing 33-28 while at its own 31-yard line.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw the ball to wide receiver Kenny Stills, who lateraled it to wide receiver DeVante Parker.
Parker then pitched it back to running back Kenyan Drake, and he did the rest by racing through the Patriots defense into the end zone.
The last player with a chance to tackle Drake was Pats tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was on the field in case of a Hail Mary.
Nora Princiotti of the Boston Globe described the scene at Saturday's NFL Honors awards show with Stills and Drake accepting the award:
TMZ Sports reported in January that the ball involved in the play sold for over $18,000 at auction.
Drake now has it back in his possession, and he made it clear after the play that he was hoping to get his hands on it after firing it into the stands:
The win kept the Dolphins in the playoff hunt, as they improved to 7-6, while the Pats dropped to 9-4.
Miami lost its final three games of the season to finish 7-9, however, and New England won two of its last three to clinch the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
Although the play didn't get the Dolphins into the playoffs or prevent the Pats from reaching Super Bowl LIII, it was one of the most improbable, game-ending plays ever to occur in an NFL contest.